This invention relates to fluid line systems which include quick connector couplings, and more particularly to a quick connector coupling having means to provide a visual indication that a proper connection has been made between the male and female portions of the quick connector.
In automotive and other fields, quick connector couplings, which generally include a male member received and sealingly retained in a female connector body, are often utilized to provide a fluid connection between two components or conduits, thus establishing a fluid line between the two components. Use of quick connector couplings is advantageous in that a sealed and secured fluid line may be established with a minimum amount of time and expense.
An improper or incomplete connection between the male member and female connector body of a quick connector coupling can have deliterious effects on the fluid line system. At the very least, a leak in the fluid sytem will occur at the site of the improper connection. More serious and potentially dangerous consequences can result if the fluid is pressurized, as many fluids in automotive systems are. Thus, a reliable and accurate means for verifying that a proper connection has been established between the male member and female connector body is desirable.
One way to check for a proper connection is to physically tug or pull on the male member in a direction away from the connector body. An improper connection is obvious if the male member withdraws from the female connector body.
Reliance on this method of connection verification has numerous disadvantages. The pulling or tugging force exerted on the male member to check for a proper connection may be insufficient to withdraw a partially connected male member from the connector body, leading to an erroneous perception of a proper connection. Another problem associated with sole reliance on physical inspection is that no indication or verification is left behind to signal to others that the coupling has in fact been inspected and has been found to be proper.
It is sometimes possible to audibly verify a proper connection. Typically, as the male member is inserted into the female connector body, an audible "click" is heard when the male member locks into place. The click results from resilient retention beams of a retainer contained within the female connector body snapping into place behind an enlarged diameter upset portion formed on the male member. This method of verification is also deficient in several respects. The click may be very quiet or inaudible, making its detection difficult. The material from which the retainer is manufactured may affect the audibility of the resulting click. Background noise in the workplace can make the task even more difficult. And, of course, an audio method of verification is inherently limited by the installer's hearing perception.
Generally, methods of connection verification which employ a visual indication of a proper connection have proven to be the most reliable.
In one common type of visual connection indicator, the position of the indicator relative to a female connector body is indicative of whether there has been a proper connection. Usually, the indicator is associated with the connector body and experiences a change in position relative to the connector body caused by inward movement, or insertion, of the male member. The indicator is not detached from the connector body, rather, the position of the indicator relative to the connector body is changed. Examples of this first type of visual indicator are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,228,728, 5,226,679, 4,948,176, 4,925,217, 4,913,467, 4,895,396, 4,793,637 and 4,753,458.
A second type of visual connection indicator signals a proper connection by complete detachment of the indicator from the coupling. Detachment is effected by inward movement, or insertion, of the male member. Thus, the absence of the indicator signals a proper connection. Examples of this second type of visual indicator are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,152,555, 4,946,205 and 4,915,240.
A third type of visual connection indicator is similar to the second type of visual indicator in that inward movement, or insertion, of a male member effects detachment of an indicator from a connector body. It differs, however, in that the detachable indicator, often a ring-shaped element, is retained, but freely movable, on the male member after detachment from the connector body. Thus, the presence of the indicator on the tube on which the male member is formed indicates a proper connection. Examples of this third type of visual indicator are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,297,818 and 5,178,424.
These three types of visual connection indicators share a common trait: reliance on inward movement, or insertion, of the male member to alter the position of, or detach, the indicator, and to carry the male member to a locked position. Reliance on inward, or insertion, force to both move the male member to a locked position and to activate the indicator can be problematic. Erratic, careless or overly forceful insertion of the male member can cause activation of the indicator without formation of a proper connection, or conversely, formation of a proper connection without activation of the indicator.
A need exists for a visual connection indicator that utilizes separate motions, or forces, for moving the male member to a properly connected position, and for activating the connection verification mechanism.